Feeding Plants And Watering, Pots And Potting.

Pots And Potting:

Plastic pots aren’t just substitutes for clay ones. There are a variety of advantages - they are lighter, more long-lasting and easier to clean. They require less water, but there is an increased danger of water logging. Peat, paper and whalehide pots are also available, but they should only be used as temporary homes for plants until the ultimate potting up or planting out stage.

Learn to recognise when a plant is pot bound. Growth is slow, even when the plant is fed regularly in the spring and summer. Check by spreading the fingers of your left hand over the soil surface. Invert and gently knock the rim of your pot on the staging and then lift off the pot. If there is a matted mass of roots all around the soil ball, then it is pot bound and repotting is necessary.

Never use ordinary garden soil for filling pots. Use a peat based or soil-based compost and never jump from a tiny pot to a large one when repotting. If you do, your new compost may possibly become sodden and new root growth is going to be inhibited. Use a pot that is only one or two sizes larger than the present one.

Place a layer of compost in the bottom of your new pot and place the plant on top of it. Fill around the soil ball with fresh compost, leaving a 1 to 2cm. space between the compost level and the top of the pot. Water carefully and keep it in the shade for about a week.

Feeding Plants:

Plants require food to stay healthy. With a high-yielding crop, like Tomatoes or Cucumbers, this need is all the more pronounced in order to get an exceptional crop of full-size fruit. Commercial peat based composts contain essential nutrients, but these last for only about 6 - 8 weeks after planting. After this period, regular feeding is necessary.

The usual technique is to use a soluble fertilizer like Instant Bio which is diluted and applied by means of a watering can. Foliar feeding is a fascinating technique which may be used when root feeding is ineffective as a result of disease or injury.

Watering:

When you are growing plants in a greenhouse then obviously they are going to depend on you for water. In the summer, plants may need watering twice a day, in the winter they may require water only once a fortnight. Water with care. Do not give daily dribbles so that the soil never dries out. The time to water is when the soil or compost is on the dry side, and then you should water thoroughly. Growing bags have their very own special rules - follow the manufacturers instructions.

Another good tip is always to water according to the weather. Plants need a lot more water on a sunny day than on a cloudy one. For watering individual plants, the perfect buy is a can with a long spout so that you can reach the rear of the greenhouse staging. If the house is a large one a watering can is not practical, you will need a hose pipe. Keep the pressure low and avoid washing away compost and exposing roots. Use rainwater whenever possible - never use hard water for Azalea, Orchid, Cyclamen or Hydrangea.

On hot days your greenhouse must be damped down by spraying the ground and staging with water. The plants need to be misted with a fine spray.